The present invention relates to an information communicating member capable of transmitting and receiving information with regard to a liquid contained in a liquid container to and from a main body of a liquid ejecting apparatus by wireless communication. The present invention also relates to a liquid container having an information communicating member and a liquid ejecting apparatus to which a liquid container is mountable.
As a liquid ejecting apparatus for ejecting a liquid to a target, there is known an ink jet type recording apparatus for printing by ejecting ink drops from a recording head to a record medium. Such an ink jet type recording apparatus ejects small ink drops from nozzles of the recording head to the record medium to thereby record a desired image of a character, a diagram or the like.
The ink jet type recording apparatus is provided with the recording head and an ink cartridge. The ink cartridge contains ink to be supplied to the recording head.
It is necessary to inform information with regard to ink contained in the ink cartridge to a recording apparatus.
The recording head ejects ink drops from its nozzle openings in such a manner that a drive signal in correspondence with print data is supplied to piezoelectric vibrators or the like, and ink is pressurized by energy generated by the piezoelectric vibrators.
For example, JP-A-2001-71469 (page 3 through page 4, FIG. 5) discloses a system in which in order to confirm whether an ink cartridge is mounted to a holder of a carriage, a circuit board on the ink cartridge side transmits a signal when the circuit board is electrically brought into contact with a holder side contact.
JP-A-2002-234192 (page 8 through page 9, FIG. 3) discloses a system in which information with regard to ink contained in an ink cartridge is transmitted to a recording apparatus side by wireless communication.
The former system in which a signal is transmitted upon direct contact as disclosed in JP-A-2001-71469 suffers from a problem of an electric contact failure.
In the case of the latter system in which a signal is transmitted by wireless communication as disclosed in JP-A-2002-234192, the system is provided at the ink cartridge side with an antenna portion and a non-volatile memory (EEPROM: Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory) storing therein various information with regard to ink. However, the latter system suffers from a problem that stored data is erased when ultraviolet ray is irradiated thereto.
Further, the non-volatile memory and the antenna are attached to a surface of the ink cartridge and therefore, there poses a problem that by static electricity generated by the human body or static electricity generated by a mechanical portion, the antenna (antenna circuit portion) and the non-volatile memory (also referred to as IC chip) and a sensor terminal provided as necessary are subjected to electrostatic breakdown.
Hence, it is an object of the invention to resolve the above-described problem. Another object of the invention is to provide an information communicating member capable of firmly preventing memory data from being erased by ultraviolet ray. Yet another object of the invention is to provide an information communicating member capable of preventing electrostatic breakdown of an information storing portion for storing information with regard to a liquid and an antenna portion. Still another object of the invention is to provide a liquid container having the information communicating member and a liquid ejecting apparatus to which the liquid container is mountable.
In the case of the latter system as disclosed in JP-A-2002-234192, it is conceivable to provide at the ink cartridge side with not only the antenna portion and the electronic part for the memory but also two sensor connection terminals.
The two sensor connection terminals are electrically connected to a sensor for detecting an amount of ink remaining in the inside of the ink cartridge.
The two sensor connection terminals are electrically connected to terminals of the electronic part of the memory via two connecting wire portions. However, if a distance between the two connecting wire portions is wide, noise of radio wave from a main body side of the ink jet type recording apparatus, or noise of radio wave of various apparatuses disposed outside of the ink jet type recording apparatus may be superposed onto a sensor signal transmitted through the two connecting wire portions.
Hence, it is still another object of the invention to resolve the above-described problem. Accordingly, yet another object of the invention is to provide an information communicating member capable of firmly providing a sensor signal by eliminating noise, such as an influence of radio wave from a main body to which a liquid container is mounted and an influence of radio wave from an apparatus other than the main body. A further object of the invention is to provide a liquid container having the information communicating member and a liquid ejecting apparatus to which the liquid container is mountable.